This page shows archived posts for Gary J. Wolff's blog from
April-June,
2011.
Enjoy...
Cheers,
Gary
June
25, 2011
- Volunteering your way to JOY
Volunteerism is often seen as giving up something for oneself (time or
the chance to make money) to help another. No wonder people think of it
as a kind of sacrifice which is preferably avoided. However, on the
contrary, volunteering is one of the best things you can do for
yourself, making you much happier.
The Happy Planet Index (a way to measure people's happiness) finds that
the happiest people are not the most materialistic wealthy, but those
with the most connections, who share their lives with others
(Especially, Latin American countries scored high). No doubt, a certain
amount of material comfort is beneficial, but connecting with others
(by reaching out and "doing good" to other people, animals, and plants)
generates a much deeper and longer lasting fulfillment than anything
which is only done for myself could. (Source: Jambo International)
June 21,
2011 -
Lotteria's new Tower Cheeseburger
This new heart-attack-waiting-to-happen from Lotteria is known as the
Tower Cheeseburger and has 10 patties & 1,823 kilocalories. It
goes
on sale June 24 for a limited time. Cost: 1,400 yen. A smaller version
with five beef patties costs 700 yen.
June
19, 2011 -
Happy Father's Day !!
God bless all the wonderful fathers in the world, especially those
who've made the ultimate sacrifice to help keep our world safe. Here's
a tribute to my own dad, a famous softball pitcher, who went to be with
the Lord in 2004: http://walterwolff.com/
June
12, 2011 - The Power of the
Smile
How
does one choose
to be happy before anything happens to make one happy? There are many
ways to do that. Here is a simple technique suggested by the famed
Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh: "Smile 5 times a day for no good
reason." Smiling actually produces a biological effect in your body. It
sends chemicals racing around your body and actually lifts your
spirits. Try this today. Then, every day this week, smile 5 times a day
for no good reason. Do it sitting in traffic. Do it standing in the
shower. Do it walking down the street, or working at your desk. For no
good reason, just break into a smile. Watch your mood change, even
though nothing in your exterior has shifted.
(Conversations with God News, April 7, 2006)
Courtesy: David Howenstein, Jambo
International
June
8, 2011
- Aerial video of Mt. Fuji, elev. 3776m, the highest mountain
in Japan
Taken @ 4:39 pm, June 3, 2011 aboard ANA Flight 261 from Tokyo Haneda
to Fukuoka Airport. I made this video while enroute to the JALTCALL
2011 conference in Kurume, on the southern Japan main island of Kyushu.
This totally self-sufficient eco-toilet along the Edogawa
jogging/cycling path in Tokyo is powered by wind and solar energy, and
collects rainwater from the roof for the toilets. Furthermore, it is
covered by
greenery to reduce heat absorption. Click below to view 3 min. video...
May 21,
2011 - Helen Morrison's May
14, 2011 Concert
Vocals: Helen Morrison (http://helenmorrisonsings.com/)
and Aimee Blackshleger
Piano: Yuko Somiya
Bass: Jeff Curry
Drums: Kenji Matsuura
PLUS......the 60's Girl Group: The Pink Ladies
Mobius Music Bar
Sat. May 14, 2011
Tokyo, Japan
All 4 videos are in a playlist
and will play continuously, non-stop.
After 1st video starts, mouse over
screen to select the other 3 videos.
(Play the entire playlist in new window here.)
Mexican national
& award-winning photographer Nathanael Teutli was arrested
November 15 under false charges & has been detained ever since
in solitary confinement at Niigata Prison without sentencing. And his
Japanese wife is doing all she can to keep him there, so she can get
custody of their daughter Yukari. Please spread the word so Nathan can
be freed to return home to his family
& friends.
May 1, 2011 - Mt.
Ontake-san (御嶽山),
elev. 3067m, the 8th highest
mountain in Japan
Pics,
maps, and trail description of my Aug. 2001 climb of Mt.
Ontake-san.
Climbing this peak was without question the most religious &
spiritual
hike I've ever taken
in Japan. The climbing trail has little shrines, temples, and statues
of religious deities pretty much along the entire course. More
details...
San-no-ike (三ノ池), one of Mt. Ontake-san's 5 crater lakes
April
29, 2011 -
Google Map of April 27, 2011 U.S. tornado outbreak, the worst tornado
disaster since the Great Depression
Over 170 tornadoes killed over 300 people in several states:
Pics, maps, and trail description of my Aug. 1995 climb of Mt.
Warusawa-dake, elev. 3141m, and Mt. Akaishi-dake, elev. 3120m. More
details...
Atop summit of
Mt. Warusawa-dake (悪沢岳),
elev. 3141m, the 6th highest
mountain in Japan
Aug. 13, 1995
April
22, 2011 - Danny Gokey
sings "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" (w/ lyrics)
"Blowing out the candles on another
birthday cake Old enough
to look back and laugh at my mistakes Young enough
to look at the future and like what I see My best days
are ahead of me..."
Milwaukee, Wisconsin native Danny
Gokey, who was the third place
finalist on the eighth season of American
Idol, and whose wife died just 1 month before his AI audition.
April
16, 2011
- Tokyo cherry blossom blizzard on April 14, 2011
Tokyo's 2011 cherry blossom season comes to an end with city-wide
cherry blossom blizzards. This one was captured with my Samsung Galaxy
S cell phone on April 14, 2011 in Shibuya near the entrance to a temple.
April 8, 2011 -
3-day-old crescent moon in Tokyo
On Wed. April 6, 2011
in Tokyo, between 18:33 and 18:51 I took 75 pics with my cheap,
shirt-pocket digicame, and the one below taken @ 18:38 wound up as the
winner.
April
2, 2011 - American businessman and associates in Tokyo enjoy yakitori
and oden at Japanese yatai (food stall)
Japanese translation of credit card commercial:
In
office
Office worker (to her boss): "Sorry, I couldn't find a nice place for
tonight's reception for our foreign clients."
Lady boss: "Don't worry. We don't need such a fancy place."
In yatai (tent-style food stall) Lady boss (to her subordinate, upon seeing how
much fun the foreigners were having): "They were impressed, weren't
they?"
(Note: Working with Ryoko
Shinohara (the lady boss),
one of Japan's most popular actresses, was a real pleasure. She is
without question one of the most strikingly beautiful women I've ever
seen with my own eyes.)
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